How The Ancient Catholic Church Dealt With Priest Sex Offenders

July 24, 2018 | Ryan Scheel

[The_Republic_Of_Maine]

"We used to hang pedophiles ..."

There are still men who say nothing but believe that Wolves, Coyotes, Buzzards and crows have to eat too.

God gave those abused children to the parents, HE expects them to protect those little ones.

[tbw2]

In the Ten Commandments, we mis-translate the Commandment as “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain” and think it means don’t say God damn or some other curse.
In reality, a better translation from Hebrew is “Don’t use God’s name as cover for bad deeds.”
This is in line with the one thing God can never forgive - doing evil in God’s name. God can forgive murder, rape, child abuse.
But why never forgive doing evil in God’s name?
Because when someone does evil in God’s name, makes people think God is evil. How much of the rise of atheism in the past hundred years is because major wars and fascism were done with the complicit endorsement of the church? How many people became virulent haters of faith because they were molested by priests? Evil was done in God’s name, and it turned the victims and those who knew about it away from God permanently.
That’s why God cannot forgive evil done in his name - he loses the souls of those who need him most.

[T-Bone Texan]

Rape and kidnapping used to be capital crimes and police were allowed to shoot perps fleeing from those crimes in the back.

I miss the good old days.

[al_c]

Amen!

[Mrs. Don-o]

Well, these aren't pedos (mostly). Something like 80% is male-on-male with sexually mature adolescents. Garden-variety abusive homosexuality, to be plain about it.

And it flourishes in a clerical culture where young (but legally adult) seminarians and young priests also get hit on.

Anyone who's unchaste with peers will be unchaste with subordinates as well. Corrupt six ways from Sunday.

[ontap]

I always wondered what kind of man swears an oath of celibacy....one group is pure in thought and devoted to God....the other is quite the opposite. One now has to opine on which is the larger group in the Catholic church!!!!!!!

[Antoninus]

This passage from the Chronicle of John Malalas written in the late 6th century AD is also directly relevant:

AD 528

In that year some of the bishops from various provinces were accused of living immorally in matters of the flesh and of homosexual practices. Amongst them was Isaiah, bishop of Rhodes, an ex praefectus vigilium at Constantinople, and likewise the bishop from Diospolis, in Thrace named Alexander. In accordance with a sacred ordinance they were brought to Constantinople and were examined and condemned by Victor the city prefect, who punished them: he tortured Isaiah severely and exiled him and he amputated Alexander's genitals and paraded him around on a litter. The emperor [sc. Justinian I] immediately decreed that those detected in pederasty should have their genitals amputated. At that time many homosexuals were arrested and dies after having their genitals amputated. From then on there was fear amongst those afflicted with homosexual lust.

Internet History Sourcebook

[Mrs. Don-o]

Source please.

[Shark24]

Here is a great article from Msgr Pope on the current crisis.

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/msgr-pope/in-the-midst-of-clerical-misdeeds-a-crucial-moment-for-the-laity

God bless.

[metmom]

I can’t imagine why any Bishop would hide or cover-up for a pedophile, unless they were supreme cowards, or involved themselves.

You nailed it right here: or involved themselves.

It's the ONLY reason, whatsoever, that someone would cover up and thereby be complicit in the abuse.

[metmom]

And therein lies Catholicism’s problem.

It’s the ANCIENT church that dealt with them that way. After a few hundred years, that all changed.

So this problem has been undealt with for well over 1,000 years.

Not a very good track record.

[Mrs. Don-o]

This brief article focuses on two points in time: the 4th century (St. Basil) and the 11th century (St. Peter Damian.) It doesn't attempt an overview of what was happening before the 4th century, between the 5th and 11th, between the 12th and 21st.

Like Israel,the Catholic Church has preserved a long, long written record of sin and grace: the downfalls, the repentances, the restorations. The Old Testament record of God's people contains hints about similar seasons of human iniquity (the Baal-Peor incident in Hosea comes to mind). I suspect we'd find recurring eruptions of human iniquity all along, if we have some way to look into the record.

What was *your* church doing about sexually offending clergy, say 700 years ago?

[ravenwolf]

Do you think it is time to listen to the Doctors of the Church and use harsher penalties to address sexual abuse in the clergy? Share your comments below!

Yes.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I think exposure to public contempt in the stocks in St. Peter's Square in Rome, or in the public square in the cities where they are resident bishops, would be appropriate.

This could be followed by house arrest, alone, at Sula Sgeir north of Scotland, population zero, if the Scots would let them in. Flogging would be a nice touch. Weekly. Not too much. I wouldn't even break the skin.

And they could watch the puffins breed.

[ravenwolf]

And they could watch the puffins breed.

---

Sounds like a good idea to me.